Instant Pot Blueberry french toast bake 3 ways covers french toast casserole in the oven, slow cooker french toast and as photographed, instant pot blueberry french toast bake!
Easter and Mother’s Day, oh and General Conference (a twice a year church meeting where we get to hear from the leaders of our faith) are what spring is all about. Actually, my birthday and our oldest daughter’s birthday are squished in there too! Every year our site gets searched over for breakfast and brunch ideas. I imagine there are probably baby shower food ideas and bridal shower brunch recipes that people need too. Especially this instant pot blueberry french toast bake 3 ways.
No matter what you are looking for, Instant pot Blueberry french toast bake 3 ways is exactly what you need! We will show you how to bake a french toast casserole, how to make french toast casserole in your slow cooker to save space in the oven and finally the method for making breakfast in an instant pot.
We are also going to go over all of the questions we’ve been getting about breakfast casseroles, specifically french toast bake recipes.
The Instant Pot is totally our jam these days and making delicious dinners quickly! You can find all our Instant Pot recipes here. And don’t miss our Instant Pot Cheat Sheet that has all information you need to cook all the basics in the Instant Pot.
Can You Bake French Toast in the Oven?
You can bake french toast in the oven but don’t expect it to turn out like french toast on a skillet. When you bake french toast in the oven it misses that direct contact with heat so even if you put a cookie sheet on top of the bread it won’t turn out the same.
However, french toast bake or casserole is a great way to enjoy that flavor without flipping individual pieces of bread. This kind of french toast needs to sit for at least 20 minutes and up to overnight in order to absorb as much of the custard (the egg and milk) as possible. If you don’t do this it will sit on top of the bread like an eggy mess.
You’ll also want to bake this french toast in a casserole dish. If you keep it packed in a tall dish it’s more of a bread pudding texture (like what you see in these photos) while spreading it out a little more in a bigger pan will give you more texture.
What Bread to Use for French Toast Bake?
French Toast casserole loves a sturdy bread because it needs to hold up to that thick and creamy custard it’s dipped in, or in this case soaked in.
For french toast bake make sure you buy Brioche, Challah or French Bread. You can click on any of those for a recipe in case your store doesn’t carry them. Our personal favorite is Challah (challah is pronounced, holla.) or Brioche as a close second.
In fact, if you’ve been converted to our 2 secrets for the best hamburger you’ll see how important a good bun is. But let’s get back to our blueberry french toast bake 3 ways.
Can you Use Regular Bread for French Toast Casserole?
A thin piece of sandwich bread will just fall apart and crumble, so if you’re hoping you can use regular bread for french toast casserole the answer is no. If there’s just no way around it, make sure you leave the bread out for 2-3 days so it becomes extra stale that way when the liquid is added the bread will have more structure to soak up the custard.
Can French Toast Casserole be Reheated?
French toast casserole is one of the few breakfast items that actually is awesome reheated. Reheated fried eggs? No thanks. But a french toast bake really holds up so well if you wrap the dish in plastic wrap or place it in a sealed container.
To reheat french toast bake you can microwave it, but if we have time we love to bake it again so the top gets all crisp again. We place it in a 350 degree oven or 400 if we are in a hurry, and bake for 15-20 minutes. If the top is getting too brown we just place a little foil over the top.
How to Make French Toast Bake Casserole
Alright, here’s how to make french toast bake or french toast casserole start out with one of those awesome breads we talked about. We prefer to cut ours into cubes, about 1-2″ because using the whole piece of bread tends to end up a little flat on texture and appearance. The cubes are perfect for those golden peaks you want.
Next, make a custard which usually involves heavy cream or cream cheese. Can you use milk instead of heavy cream in french toast casserole? Absolutely, but it won’t have that creamy, rich flavor like a fattier product will have. Cream cheese does exactly what the have cream does plus it tastes more like a stuffed french toast which we all love.
Pour the custard over the bread and gently press it down a little so it absorbs all of the liquid. It’s important to not skip letting the bread soak this all up as that’s what makes it a casserole.
Now bake it all off until the top is golden. Serve french toast bake with syrup, berries or even powdered sugar!
How to Make Slow Cooker French Toast Casserole
To make slow cooker french toast casserole you’ll want to use that inner pot to prepare the bread in. I don’t like to stick it in a bowl and then dump it in the slow cooker because it clumps it all together and breaks the bread more.
Make sure you spray or line the slow cooker so you don’t end up with burned or stuck on pieces of bread.
If you’re in a hurry you can do 2 hours at high heat or if you’ve got time go for low heat for 4 hours.
Serve it straight out of the slow cooker.
How to Make French Toast Bake in an Instant Pot
For the instant pot blueberry french toast bake 3 ways, follow the same instructions as the slow cooker and baking for blueberry french toast casserole 3 ways, but use a 7″ spring form pan. This makes it easy to remove the entire casserole from the spring form pan and onto a serving platter which is really pretty. We use this 7″ spring form pan as it holds up so well over time and it’s leak proof. We also like this serving platter in blue and white.
Create a sling for the instant pot by folding a long piece of tin foil back and forth to make it thick and sturdy. Place it under the pan and gently lift it into the instant pot.
Set the instant pot to high pressure for 20-25 minutes and wait to put the topping on once it’s done, then bake it to make a crispy topping. You could also put it on in the instant pot, but it won’t have that crisp texture.
If you’re an Instant Pot lovers, check out our Instant Pot Cheat Sheet! It has all the details for cooking all the basics in the Instant Pot.
Can French Toast Casserole be Made in Advance?
Blueberry French toast bake 3 ways can be made in advance, just like any french toast casserole. Place the bread and custard in the dish and cover with plastic wrap or tin foil. Refrigerate overnight or up to 30 hours. Remove it from the fridge for 5 minutes before baking.
Can French Toast Casserole be Frozen?
French toast casserole can be frozen after baking if you allow it to cool completely. It’s important that it not be warm in the slightest or it will break down more in the freezer and not freeze evenly.
Wrap the french toast bake in foil and if possible place into a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 30 days.
We hope you love our blueberry french toast bake 3 ways as much as we do and we hope that going over all of the different methods and questions is helpful. We realize that not all of you have an instant pot or slow cooker so we hope this helps!
More Sweet Breakfast Options:
- Buttermilk Pancakes
- Apple Pie Slow Cooker Oatmeal
- Orange Sweet Rolls
- Classic French Toast
- Waffles
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Blueberry French Toast Bake
- Homemade Yogurt
- Cinnamon Roll Pigs in a Blanket
- Peach Coffee Cake
- Liege Waffles
- Slow Cooker Overnight Steel Cut Oats
- All our BREAKFAST RECIPES!
Instant Pot Blueberry French Toast Bake 3 Ways
Instant pot Blueberry french toast bake 3 ways
Description
Ingredients
- 1 Loaf Challah Bread, cut in 1-2" squares, about 5 to 5 1/2 cups
- 1 Cup Fresh Blueberries
- 1 package Cream Cheese, 8 oz, softened
- 2/3 Cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla
- 1 Cup Milk
- Maple Syrup and Powdered Sugar for serving
Topping
- 1/4 Cup Flour
- 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 Pinch Salt
- 1/4 Cup Cold Butter, Cut into pieces
Instructions
For the Oven
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8" or 9x9" baking pan with nonstick spray.
- Place 1/3 of the bread into the pan, sprinkle with some of the blueberries. Repeat with two more layers, reserving a few blueberries for the garnish.
- In a bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla and sugar and beat until smooth again. Slowly add the milk with the mixer going on low speed.
- Pour over the bread, pressing the bread down gently. Let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes, or overnight with plastic wrap over it.
- In a small bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Mix to combine and add the butter.
- Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the mixture until it's evenly dispersed.
- Sprinkle over the top of the bread and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and serve with warmed syrup and powdered sugar.
For the Slow Cooker
- Line the slow cooker or crock pot with foil or spray well with nonstick spray.
- Prepare as directed above, but in the slow cooker instead of a pan.
- Sprinkle with the crumble topping and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
For the Instant Pot
- Prepare as directed in a 7" spring-form pan or cake pan.
- Reserve the crumble topping if you want it crunchy, otherwise sprinkle on top.
- Pour 1 cup of water in the bottom of the instant pot.
- Make a sling by folding a long piece of tin foil back and forth a few times. Place under the pan and gently lift into the pot.
- Lock the lid and cook at high pressure for 20 minutes. Let the valve release or do a quick release.
- Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Place the pan in the oven to crisp the top a little or if you are just now adding the topping, bake for 10 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Recommended Products
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Debbie Vinge
I doubled it. Well 8 servings. 🙂 the only thing I would change is make more topping amd I added more blueberries. We love it.
Sweet Basil
Thank you so much Debbie!
Deb Keator
Totally found a fourth way to cook this . . . on the grill indirect heat for 30 minutes then 10 minutes with direct heat on low. It was too hot to turn the oven on and I gad already made it the night before still my favorite breakfast for dinner wish I could post the picture for you 😊👍💙💚
Sweet Basil
Oh my gosh, Deb! Yessss! I love it! Email me a picture!
Brenda
Is there another type of bread that would be good? In my rural area, I don’t think I’ll be able to find Challah bread.
Sweet Basil
Brioche or french bread also work great!
Erica
Just made this for Christmas morning and it was delicious! I needed to cook it for a little longer also, about 45 min, but man….that was the best French toast I have ever had!
Sweet Basil
Yay!! Love to hear this! Thanks Erica!
Heather
Good afternoon. I forgot to to sit it in the fridge for 30 minutes will it turn out ok?
Sweet Basil
It should be ok but the egg won’t have soaked into the bread at all so it might be a little dry. Load that baby up with syrup and you’ll be fine!
Mrs Jackson
Hello! I have been trying to get the chance to try this & I’m in LOVE!😍😋 I was going to use the PC but last minute I chose to bake it. I cooked it for 35 min but when I pulled it out there was NO WAY, it was like liquid mush. So I put it back in & kinda forgot about it😣 it was about an hour later I remembered & ran to pull it out. The top was more brown then I would visually compare to being closer to burnt & it swelled up over the edge of my dish. I left it to set. Another hour later I came through decided to sample it in Hope’s it was still ok. Let me tell you I AM IN LOVE… w Blueberry French Toast!!!😍😍 I couldn’t believe the flavor explosion that had went off in my mouth! I scooped some more & made my husband try it too. His eyes popped open like WOW! too😀 I set it in the fridge till 30min ago & I am actually looking at the last bite in my bowl as we speak😄 I sprinkled confectioners sugar over it. It needs no syrup the flavor combo is perfect by its self. I’m sure my husband will use syrup later when he wakes, I’ll have to let you know what his options was later. I am all the way 2 thumbs & 2 big toes even UP!! I can’t wait to make this & share it with others! Thanks for the recipe, but be prepared to add time to the baking in oven. It had formed up when I had removed it. Maybe an hour, give or take. Sorry IDK for sure. Thank you for sharing, I wanted to write ya’ll a review😉😀 SOMETHING THIS GOOD… HAS TO BE SHARED!!
Mrs. J
Mrs. Jackson
It had FIRMED up when I removed it. Sorry, stupid spell check🙄😆 I’m about to have more😣 I can see I can’t make this very often. I’ll end up eating the whole thing myself… SHHH DON’T TELL MY HUSBAND😉😆😅 I hope everyone enjoys this lucius treat as much as me?!!! Thanks again!
Mrs. J
Sweet Basil
I totally read it as “firmed” so I followed you! 🙂
Sweet Basil
Mrs. Jackson…thank you!! You are so kind! We sure love this recipe! I wonder why it took so long to bake. That is so strange, but I’m so glad it finally turned out for you! Thank you for taking time to leave a review!
Yasmin
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe. I LOVE blueberries and can’t wait for them to be in season again.
Do you think I could bake the casserole in the oven too? What adjustments would I have to make?
Thank you so much!
Sweet Basil
Hi Yasmin,
350 For 30 minutes is all you need to do.
Natalie
oh god, I should buy the instant pot to try all of these recipes.
They are really nice xD
Sweet Basil
It’s time to give in!
Anna
We love French toast casserole for weekend breakfast! I can’t wait to make this in my Instant Pot!
Sweet Basil
Thanks Anna!